Hello, welcome to my first In-Depth blog post! In this post, I introducing what I will doing for this project.
This year for in-depth, I decided I wanted to try Chinese Brush Painting. But first of all, what is Chinese Brush Painting? Chinese Brush Painting is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. The time from the Five Dynasties Period to the Northern Song period (907-1127) is known as the “Great Age of Chinese Landscape”. This was when Chinese Brush Painting became popular among Chinese Citizens. It later became popular in Western areas in the 20th century.
Traditional painting typically involves the same techniques used for calligraphy and is done with a brush dipped with black ink. There are two main techniques, gongbi (highly detailed work) and ink and wash painting (watercolour and brushpainting). I will be focusing on these techniques in my project.
Why did I choose this topic?
I chose this topic because my grandfather does Chinese Brush Painting for a living and I was fascinated by it even as a child. I have always wanted learned to learn how to paint in a completely different style, so I thought this would be a good time to give it a try.
About my mentor
My mentor wishes to keep their identity confidential, but they have been doing Chinese Brush Painting for a few years already. They have mentored plenty of other students who want to learn and try brush painting. Since there is COVID-19, we decided that we would meet up on zoom instead of in-person. We have also created a timeline to help me achieve my goal. Before our first meeting on zoom, I have been told to read books/watch videos to further my understanding before we start learning the techniques. I am excited to see what my mentor has in store for me.